Princes invests in relaunched pie range

12 Jan 2009

Princes is stepping up investment in its canned pie range including new recipes, flavours and packaging to help capture a larger slice of the £25m market.

Princes, which is bought by 70% of UK households, is throwing its brand strength behind the four-strong range — revamping the pies with improved recipes including succulent chunks of lean meat and a crisper pastry top. A new Beef and Mushroom pie is also being added to the range following consumer research, which revealed a gap in the market for a steak pie that doesn’t also include kidney.

The improved recipes will be accompanied by redesigned packaging featuring stronger branding, a clean contemporary design and tempting food photography to emphasise the quality of the meals. The appealing food shots are further reinforced by the on-pack description which highlights the key product benefits of each variant.

The move, which will be supported by in-store promotions and above-the-line advertising follows extensive consumer research which showed that shoppers are looking for tasty, satisfying pies from a brand they can trust.

Neil Brownbill, marketing director for Princes Foods, said: “Over recent months canned food sales have increased by almost 10% against the same time last year — a clear sign that consumers are buying into the convenience and value offered by the category.

“We spotted a gap in the market for a branded pie range that consumers can trust to deliver on quality and flavour. Princes’ heritage and reputation makes the brand ideally placed to meet this demand. Our re-launched pie range is designed to attract new shoppers to the market and drive value.”

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